Sports
Asalanka to take over from Hasaranga as Sri Lanka skipper
by Rex Clementine
Star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga’s two-match suspension means his schoolmate Charith Asalanka will take over as Sri Lanka’s captain during the national cricket team’s tour of Bangladesh starting next week.
Accordingly, Asalanka will lead the country in the first two T-20 Internationals as Hasaranga remains suspended. Asalanka is the understudy for Hasaranga in T-20 cricket and Kusal Mendis in ODI cricket and many believe it is only a matter of time before the 26-year-old leads Sri Lanka across all formats.
From the far off Elpitiya, Asalanka ended up at Richmond College, Galle after passing the Grade Five Scholarship. More than education it was cricket that Asalanka excelled in at Richmond and soon was spotted by the national selectors.
Asalanka captained Sri Lanka Under-19 to the UK in 2016 where the team won the unofficial Test series and blanked England Under-19 3-0 in the ODIs. He also went on to captain the nation at the ICC Youth World Cup. Former great Roy Dias, who functioned as the Head Coach of the Under-19 side had earmarked Asalanka for great things moving forward.
Having made his international debut three years ago, Asalanka has come up with some match-winning performances over the years. His feats batting under pressure has been a hallmark. More importantly in a day and age where many young players have been cautioned, fined or sanctioned for indiscipline, Asalanka has moved around with his head held high.
Asalanka’s elevation to captaincy comes after ICC Match Referee Chris Broad suspended the Sri Lankan captain for bringing the game into disrepute during the third T-20 International at Dambulla where Hasaranga argued with the umpire. He was charged by the umpires and the Match Referee found him guilty handing a 50 percent fine of the match fee apart from the suspension.
Hasaranga faulted with umpire Lyndon Hannibal for not calling a no ball for a high full toss in the last over of the Sri Lankan innings. The ball to Kamindu Mendis was not just waist high but chest high and should have been called a no ball and a free hit given. Sri Lanka went on to lose a close encounter by three runs. A win would have seen them clean sweeping the Afghans in all three formats.
Sri Lanka will play three T-20 Internationals and three ODIs against Bangladesh followed by two Test matches. Their next assignment is the T-20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the United States.
The BCB has said that they will rely on the Bangladesh government’s directive before finalising their tour to Pakistan later this month. Bangladesh were originally scheduled to play five T20Is there from May 25 to June 3, but the PSLs schedule was revised following cross-border tensions between Pakistan and India.
According to the revised fixtures, the PSL final will now be held on May 25, when Pakistan and Bangladesh were originally scheduled to play the first T20I.
ESPNcricinfo has learned that the PCB has sent a new schedule for the T20Is between Pakistan and Bangladesh, with the first match now slotted for May 27, and the last on June 5.
BCB’s media committee chairman Iftekhar Rahman said they will rely on information from government security agencies and the Bangladesh high commission in Islamabad to take the final decision.
“Once we receive official communication about the dates and venues [of the tour], we will forward it to the government,” Rahman said. “The BCB is not the decision-maker in this matter. If the government agencies and our embassy declare Pakistan safe for travel, only then will we proceed.
“In our previous meeting, we agreed that any such situation would be referred to the foreign and home ministries. Once we get clearance from all relevant bodies, we will finalise the tour. Security concerns were more significant in the past, but Pakistan has proven it can ensure safety. Still, given the current circumstances, we need to assess whether the situation across the country is stable before sending the team.”
Before playing Pakistan, Bangladesh are scheduled to play two T20Is against UAE in Sharjah on May 17 and 19. They were then supposed to fly to Lahore on May 21.
[Cricinfo]
Apna Perera won his third title of the 110th Colombo Championships as he partnered Dhilvan Herath to beat Dumindu Dilum and Chehan Fernando in the open men’s doubles final.
Apna and Dhilvan registered 6-2, 6-2 win in the final.
Apna, the open men’s singles champion, was also the winner of the mixed doubles which was played according to round robin method. In the mixed doubles Apna partnered Inuki Jayaweera.
Results
Men’s doubles semi-finals
Apna Perera and Dhilvan Herath beat Ashen Silva and Lithum Jayabandu 6-1, 6-2
Dumindu Dilum and Chehan Fernando beat Methika Wickramasinghe and Vichinthya Nilaweera 6-3, 2-6, 10-4.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) recently carried out a Fast Bowling Talent Search program in the Polonnaruwa District as part of its ongoing efforts to identify and nurture emerging cricketing talent across the country.
The program, held at the Royal College Ground, Polonnaruwa, attracted over 60 promising young players—both boys and girls—including school cricketers of the district. Each participant underwent skill assessments to evaluate their fast bowling potential.
Following the evaluations, 20 talented bowlers were selected for further development.
The selected players will now receive structured training under the guidance of Provincial coaches of Sri Lanka Cricket, with a focus on refining their techniques and enhancing their overall performance.
Those who continue to demonstrate consistent improvement will be given the opportunity to join SLC’s district squads, thereby becoming part of the official National Pathway Program.
This initiative is a part of SLC’s ‘Cricket Gamata’, program which aims to find talent from rural areas across Sri Lanka.
The talent assessments were conducted by Lasantha Lakmin, SLC Talent Scout for the North Central and North Western Provinces; Lakshitha Herath, North Central Provincial Women’s Coach; and Saman Senanayake, North Central Provincial Fast Bowling Coach.
The event was organized by the North Central Provincial Cricket Association under the guidance of Sri Lanka Cricket. It was managed by Krishan Anandakumar, Manager of the Center of Excellence, Dambulla.
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